Home|About Bill Stanley| Contact Us| Private Policy
Advertisement

Roof framing is certainly very complicated, with some roof designs being very difficult to construct. A roof frame can be found in five different designs, shed, gable, hip, gamble and mansard. Some of these roof frame designs are hard to construct and some are easy such as shed and gable. When constructing these type of roof framing ( shed and gable) you require a basic knowledge of framing a roof and a little geometry. However with proper planning you will be able to deliver the required results when framing a roof even if the design is a bit complicated.

How To Frame A Roof

Roof framing is certainly an art that will take many years to perfect, however a simple roof frame can be fitted by an amateur as long as you follow the basic rules when framing a roof.

  • During roof framing you can use trusses which are excellent when constructing any roof frame design. You can also buy pre-constructed trusses from factories. They are designed in many sizes to meet your needs and can be delivered to the site.
  • When constructing a roof frame it is not always important to use square calculations and geometry;  at times you will be able to gauge your ridges, rafters and plates better when they are laid out.
  • The major part of framing a roof will certainly be setting the ridges and rafters, the ridge board is the board the rafters are joined to at the top of the roof.
  • The next part of your roof framing will be to measure the rafter cut, you will require a bevel square to have this done.
  • Finally you will have the roof rafters joined into the double plate of the exterior wall, this should be a perfect fit. The bevel square will again be used for cutting a vertical and horizontal cut in overhang.
  • The next step when the rafters are in place is to place the roof sheathing and other roofing material when framing a roof.

Roofing Frame Basics

Roof framing consists of two types of roof frame, a stick frame and a truss frame. A stick frame is when ordinary lumber is used for framing a roof. The truss however uses re-built wood from to construct the roof frame. When using either one of these, what needs to be noted is the pitch of the roof – this is the angle of the roof frame. Truss frames are usually the roof frame of choice these days as it is heavy lumber and allows more flexibility. Having the correct roof framing is very important and correct planning will need to be done in order to achieve desired results when framing a roof.

Roof Frame Construction

Constructing a roof frame is a very important part in the building process of any structure that requires a roof. The proper planning and construction of the roof framing will protect it from inclement weather.

  • When you are constructing the roof frame you need to make sure that the lining is correct, if your walls are crooked the rafter tails will not be straight and this will create a problem.
  • Applying sheets will be your next step in framing a roof, always start placing sheets from the bottom towards the top working your way towards the ridge of the roof. Make sure everything is in place before you start nailing the sheets down, it would also be better not to nail the rafters down so that if you need to adjust them later you can.
  • Stability is very important with a roof frame, in order to get good stability you can use metal clips on the splices, this will help tremendously when framing a roof.
  • After you have set up your roof frame it is advisable to check alignment every now and then to make sure you have good roof framing.

Roof framing can be a difficult task for a person that has not done it before, however proper planning will go a long way in you constructing an excellent roof frame.